Hunt already being counted out of UFC 180 bout vs. Werdum

You’d be hard-pressed to find many people giving Mark Hunt much of a chance in Saturday night’s interim heavyweight championship against Fabricio Werdum.

The New Zealander wasn’t even supposed to be in Mexico City for UFC 180, but was brought in on relatively short notice when reigning champion Cain Velasquez had to withdraw due to injury.

Sure, Hunt packs one of the meanest punches in the game and is coming off a highlight-reel knockout of Roy Nelson in September, but he’s also lost two of his last three and is going against an opponent with huge recent wins both on the ground and on his feet.

It doesn’t seem like the underdog status is bothering Hunt too much, though — at least not at UFC 180 media day, where he was back to his jovial self after a couple days during which he was unusually surly.

“My mind is strong, I had a bit of a hiccup yesterday but I think I’m through to the other side now,” Hunt told MMAFighting.com.

It’s understandable if Hunt was a little bit out of sorts this week. After all, he only had three weeks to adjust to the high-altitude of Mexico City and had to go through a hellish workout routine to get himself in shape and drop close to 40 pounds.

There was also some “personal stuff” that apparently affected him in the week leading up to Saturday night’s bout, although he declined to elaborate on what exactly that was.

Either way, it was encouraging to see the veteran — who has a reputation for being one of the friendlier fighters in the UFC — back at his best later in the week.

“I’m always putting positives in my head, I have to,” Hunt said. “Everyone’s talking negative stuff. I’m trying to put positive stuff into my head so I can keep (right). I’ve done it my whole life. As a kid, when people made fun of you, I put positive stuff in there to keep me going.

With even Velasquez suggesting he believed Werdum would emerge from UFC 180 with the interim belt, Hunt understands that he’s not being picked as the favourite to walk away with the title.

Does that bother him? Not even remotely.

“My whole career’s been an underdog (story). I’m not supposed to be here,” Hunt said. “I won the world title in K-1 as a nobody. Of course I’m the underdog, everyone is saying it.

“I mean, even these circumstances (that brought me here), but hey man, it makes a good story. If anyone can do it, I can do it.”

VELASQUEZ DISMISSIVE

One guy who isn’t putting much weight on Saturday night’s main event is Velasquez.

Despite being out of action with a torn MCL and meniscus, the Mexican-American has been front and centre at many of the UFC’s events in Mexico City, and was openly dismissive of the belt that Werdum and Hunt will be fighting for.

“It’s the interim belt, you know,” Velasquez told MMAFighting.com. “It’s the interim belt. We’re going to fight for the real one coming up, so I don’t think too much into it. When I have my chance to fight, we’ll fight for the real one.

“That’s how I view it, because it’s the interim belt. Interim belt, interim champion. Not the champion.”

Losing Velasquez to injury was a major blow to the UFC as it made its first foray into the Mexican capital, as UFC president Dana White had been open about the organization’s intention of riding the heavyweight champion’s star power into the country and hopefully inspiring a new generation of young fans to begin avidly following the sport.